Waiting For Justice For Over Half A Century

Asem Mustafa Awan

Islamabad: Since 1970, her quest for justice has continued. Saeeda Sultan is nearing 90 now, and her agony for the past 50 years has remained.

A nation of 220 million and two Chief Justices of Pakistan, while holding the highest office in the country that can hold anyone accountable, has intervened and directed the concerned officials to correct the wrong, but nothing happened.

Saeeda Sultan awaits justice and has a question for the entire country of Pakistan, both the judges and the lawyers who will get her the rights that were first guaranteed by the top courts and have been decided in her favor in the 1970s.

What happened after shows how Pakistan’s ‘land of the pure’ got changed and now bedridden and in fragile health, she awaits the outcome in the form of a decision that can resolve the issue once and for all.

She has not lost hope, and she knows she is right, as what she has asked is rightfully hers and hers only. Her indefatigable spirit continues to mock the system, which in her case is blatantly exposed.

She has exposed all segments of society that hold positions of political and social status, starting with her Haq Mehr (Mandatory Marriage Settlement in writing). Haq Mehar in Islam is a sum of money, jewellery, or property that a husband vows to give to his wife in exchange for their union, with his free will to foster love and respect before its consummation.

Saeeda Sultan got married in 1953, and in 1970, when she asked for rights that are guaranteed in Islam, she suffered a broken arm and other injuries. Needless to say, the dispute remains to date, but it has been determined Saeeda is against all odds, where she was cheated by all authorities concerned that were supposed to protect the vulnerable woman who was right.

Saeeda Sultan, in her fight for justice, exposed the prevailing system in Pakistan and its state organs, which are the cause of an estimated 2.2 million cases in the court.

It is, but these people who, with ‘graft’ make right as wrong. The role of the police, land revenue officers (Patwari, Gardawar, and Tehsildar), and the courts where the records were tampered with and what is rightfully hers is still undecided.

Then Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and Chief Justice Saqib Nisar both had the highest office in the country, and they could have intervened to get the matter resolved, but both have retired after serving their tenures. Yes, it is a fact that they did initiate an inquiry and give time to Saeeda Sultan, but the law takes its own course, and in Pakistan, the elixir of life is needed to get a decision for a commoner.

Saeeda Sultan is alive but in a fragile state of health. Will there be a ‘champion of justice’ to stand for her right only time will tell. Half a century has gone. How long will it take?  This scribe leaves it to the readers. Saeeda Sultan’s ordeal can be viewed on YouTube.

The writer is a journalist based in Islamabad and writes on a wide range of issues.